The present invention relates to a printing system, and more particularly to a user interface for navigating and controlling a printing system to generate documents received from one or more input units including a computer network, scanner, modem, etc.
Present and future high capacity printing systems are intended to provide an operator or user with as many job programming options and selections as reasonably possible. For example, at least four developer housings containing four different types of toner are utilized to provide color copying. Further, operators wish to choose from a very large variety of stock. Stock is the print media or support material on which prints are made. The number of print media choices is very large considering the great number of different sheet sizes, colors, and types that are used by customers today. The number is even larger due to the printing needs of different foreign countries.
Since the operator or user wishes to offer a wide variety of printing options to customers and complete customer orders as quickly as possible, minimizing the interruption of print jobs is a very important priority. By replenishing supplies such as stock and toner in a timely fashion, the utilization of high capacity printing systems can be maximized.
A large amount of information concerning the status of the current print job and the requirements of requested print jobs which have not yet been performed, is required to maximize the utilization of the printing system. In order for the operator to more efficiently utilize the printing system to perform a large number of print jobs with as few interruptions as possible, there is a need for a user friendly navigational tool, which can provide the operator with information regarding the amount of printing supplies currently available in the printing system.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a graphical user interface for providing operating information of a printing system on a display screen comprises a depiction of a printing system shown on the display screen including icons of at least one feeder, print engine and finisher, and a display unit displaying operator information of a desired icon on the display screen by selecting the desired icon. A desired icon is selected by pointing a cursor at the desired icon and keying a mouse or a key on the keyboard to select the desired icon. The desired icon may also be selected by highlighting a desired icon and keying a mouse or a key on the keyboard to select the desired icon. The graphical user interface further comprises a multiuse job progress indicator, including total time, elapsed time and time remaining for a current print job, shown on the display screen. The graphical user interface further comprises depiction of a pathway access window. The operator information comprises a depiction of different toners available to the printing system, a depiction of magnification, a depiction of registration information, a depiction of tray information, and a depiction of finisher information. The operator information further comprises a depiction of stacker information, inserter information, a depiction of stapler information, and a depiction of binder information.
In one embodiment of a printing system, the printing system prints image data received from a computer network, scanner or other image data generating device on a support material. The printing system comprises: a supply unit having a plurality of feeders, wherein each feeder has at least one tray for storing support material; a controller including a system controller processing the received image data, and a user interface comprising a depiction of a printing system shown on the display screen including icons of at least one feeder, print engine and finisher, and a display unit displaying operator information of a desired icon on the display screen by selecting the desired icon; a print engine including a charging unit charging a surface of a photoconductive belt, a first exposure unit exposing a photoconductive belt to create an electrostatic latent image based on the received image data at the direction of the system controller, a first developer unit having first color charged toner particles, which are attracted to the electrostatic latent image, a second exposure unit exposing the photoconductive belt based on the received image data at the direction of the system controller, a second developer unit having second color charged toner particles, which are attracted to the electrostatic latent image, a third exposure unit exposing the photoconductive belt based on the received image data at the direction of the system controller, a third developer unit having third color charged toner particles, which are attracted to the electrostatic latent image, a fourth exposure unit exposing the photoconductive belt based on the received image data at the direction of the system controller, a fourth developer unit having fourth charged toner particles, which are attracted to the electrostatic latent image, a transfer unit receiving support material and transferring the toner from the photoreceptor belt to the support material, a fuser assembly receiving the support material from the transfer unit and permanently affixing the toner to the sheet of support material, and a cleaning unit cleaning the photoreceptor belt; and a finishing unit, coupled to the print engine, the finishing unit comprising at least one of a stacker, binder, stapler and inserter.
In another embodiment of a printing system, the printing system prints image data received from a computer network, scanner or other image data generating device on a support material. The printing system comprises: a supply unit having a plurality of feeders, wherein each feeder has at least one tray for storing support material; a controller including a system controller processing the received image data, and a user interface comprising a depiction of a printing system shown on the display screen including icons of at least one feeder, print engine and finisher, and a display unit displaying operator information of a desired icon on the display screen by selecting the desired icon; a print engine including a charging unit charging a surface of a photoconductive belt, at least one exposure unit exposing a photoconductive belt to create an electrostatic latent image based on the received image data at the direction of the system controller, at least one developer unit having charged toner particles, which are attracted to the electrostatic latent image, a transfer unit receiving support material and transferring the toner from the photoreceptor belt to the support material, a fuser assembly receiving the support material from the transfer unit and permanently affixing the toner to the sheet of support material, and a cleaning unit cleaning the photoreceptor belt; and a finishing unit, coupled to the print engine, the finishing unit comprising at least one of a stacker, binder, stapler and inserter.